The Women's NCAA Final Four is the talk of the sports world.

Women’s basketball doesn’t have Next. It’s here. Now.

Iowa, Caitlin Clark, U. Conn and South Carolina are the talk of the sports world this week heading into the Final Four in Cleveland. Clark and the Hawkeyes took down defending champs LSU Monday night as she poured in 40 points and 12 assists.

Michigan Sportsbooks are exploding with markets on the Women’s Final Four. FanDuel has a whole Caitlin Clark section where you can bet on her performance. BetRivers and Caesars have markets on each Final Four game open.

Let’s break down in each match-up on Friday.

NC State vs. South Carolina, 7:05 p.m.

The line: South Carolina by 11 (at Caesars)

South Carolina is looking for its second NCAA title in the last three years. While Caitlin Clark and Iowa have gotten all the adoration, and U.Conn is well, U.Conn, South Carolina has gone 36-0. They’ve played the toughest schedule in the nation and won by an average…average… of 29 points. Senior center Kamilla Cardoso blocks three shots a game and scores 14 points a night. Seven different Gamecocks average over 8 points a game.

NC State will get tagged with the ‘happy to be here’ banner, but if South Carolina isn’t focused, they could score an upset. NC State is 31-6 and beat Stanford and Texas to get here. Junior guards Aziaha James and Saniya Rivers combine for almost 30 points a game. And the Wolf Pack is one of the best rebounding teams in the nation.

U.Conn vs. Iowa, 9:30 p.m.

The line: Iowa by 2 (at Caesars)

My guess is tickets on the resell market for this one will go for two- or three-times face value (and I’m probably being conservative). You have the nation’s player of the year in Clark against the esteemed program that has won more NCAA titles than anyone (11).

Clark rose to the moment against LSU scoring 40 to send the defending champs home. You can say just double team her, but she passes extremely well. Put someone small on her and she shoots over them, put someone big and she drives by. It will be fascinating to see what type of defense Geno Auriemma and Huskies come up with on her.

U.Conn already lost to NC State and South Carolina this season, but they’re playing their best ball now. Paige Bueckers is a star just like Clark. The Huskies shoot 49 percent from the floor.

The X Factor

It comes down to who is going to rise to this challenge. U. Conn has been here before, but usually it’s the Huskies with the unstoppable fan favorite (think Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore etc.) on their side. Iowa beat South Carolina in the Final Four last year. So you know the Gamecocks would love revenge in the finals.

South Carolina is the only team to beat U.Conn in an NCAA Championship game (amazingly U.Conn is 11-1 in NCAA Finals), so you know Geno wants to get back at the Gamecocks, or will NC State spoil the whole party? The time is now.

By:Darren Cooper

Born and raised in Louisiana, Darren Cooper has a fond appreciation for bayous, Mardi Gras beads and the sports betting industry. Darren has worked for multiple print and online publications since 1998, primarily as a sports columnist in the Northeast. He’s covered a Super Bowl (it was a blowout), the World Series (same) and the NBA Draft (man, those guys are tall). For the last few years he’s dug deep into the sports gambling industry as it exploded across America, learning how the legal sausage is made and how while all the sportsbooks look the same, they all have different identities and styles. He’s learned to always bet within his means -- and take the under. When not in front of his computer creating, Darren spends time with his three boys. He runs, reads and is always looking for the next big thing to write about.